Left to right: Kansas City Chiefs defensive back Eric Berry, cornerback Steven Nelson and defensive back Orlando Scandrick stretch during workouts Friday in Kansas City, Mo. The Chiefs host the New England Patriots on Sunday. (AP)

KANSAS CITY — When the Chiefs were defeated 43-40 by the Patriots in Week 6, they were without two of their best defenders. Linebacker Justin Houston will be present and a force on Sunday, while safety Eric Berry is also expected to be in the lineup.

That should make things more difficult for Tom Brady and the Patriots.

Led by Chris Jones and Dee Ford, the Chiefs were tied for the league lead in sacks with 52. They almost certainly would have claimed the category all for themselves if Houston wasn’t limited to 12 games, as he had nine during that time.

Against the Patriots, the Chiefs defence only put Brady on the ground twice.

“It is hard to block the front, as a whole,” Ford said Friday. “Having all of us together, pick your poison. If you want to chip (block), that is just less guys that you are able to release downfield. so we will take it any time.

“Just having (Houston’s) presence, it is going to be a lot different. We are definitely looking froward to it.”

The Patriots only allowed 21 sacks, or third fewest, on the year. Good O-line, right? That’s just part of it.

“Tom Brady gets rid of the ball very fast,” said Jones, who was third in the league with 15.5 sacks. “Those guys stick their hands out, and Tom Brady gets rid of the ball.

“We will definitely try to them with our pass rush … Dee Ford on the edge, Justin Houston and Allen Bailey. We will try to do something to affect him and knock him off his pivot.”

Having Berry will help, although neither the player nor coach Andy Reid would confirm he’ll return from the “complicated” heel issue that has sidelined him for all but two games in December.

The rest of the players spoke like they believe it to be a done deal. Berry, who came back from cancer in 2015 and missed all but the opener of the 2017 season with a torn Achilles, may very well be the Chiefs best defensive player. He’s their most physical, at the very least.

“I feel pretty good,” Berry said of his participation. “I’ll just talk to coach (Reid) and see what he wants to do and we’ll just go rom there.”

Reid showed his hand earlier this week by releasing veteran safety Ron Parker, Berry’s primary replacement, to make room for the return of Canadian guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif.

Berry, who would theoretically force Brady to hold on to the ball a little longer, is not overly concerned about his timing. Asked about the rust factor, he said he stayed focused even when he wasn’t playing.

“A lot of mental reps,” said the former fifth overall draft pick. “A lot of visualization. A lot of meditating. We’ll see how it goes.”

Making things as difficult as possible for Brady for the Chiefs. He may the GOAT and he does have a 5-3 record at neutral site Super Bowls, but he’s hasn’t been very good in playoff games not at Gillette Stadium.

In seven such situations, Brady is 3-4, with eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions.

SIDELINES TO SIDELINES Approaching his 39th post-season game, Brady still gets nervous. But “just a little bit”, and mostly during the week. “I feel like the more I prepare, the less nervous I get,” said Brady, “because I can kind of expect how things are going to go a little bit if I have a little more information on the team.” … Bill Belichick admitted he gets nervous as a game approaches too. “Yeah,” he said, “every week.” More so in the playoffs? “They all count in this league,” he said. “Just let me know the ones that don’t matter. I’ll make sure I don’t get excited for those.” … Brady spoke about playing multiple sports as a kid. “I played a lot of basketball, a lot of baseball, a lot of football, a lot of dodgeball, kickball — wasn’t very good in English or math or any of those things, but pretty good with the ball in my hands.” … Pats receiver Julian Edelman also played a lot of sports as a kid, but had no time for any of that talk or about the baseball background of Patrick Mahomes. “Honestly, I’m just worried about the Kansas City Chiefs,” he said. “I’m sorry, I’m not going to sit here and go down memory lane about ‘High School Harry’ baseball player over here. I wasn’t very good. I’m playing football for a reason.”

EXTRA POINTS Naturally it would be special for Berry to play in the Super Bowl, with the site this season being his hometown of Atlanta. “That puts a lot on it,” he said. “Just look at the history behind the trophy (AFC Championship winner receives the Lamar Hunt Trophy, named in honour of the former Chiefs owner) and look at the organization we’re playing for. It’s great just to be in this position and have this opportunity. You don’t get these opportunities often. It’s my ninth year in the league and first shot at it. I’m going to cherish every moment.” … Chiefs fullback Anthony Sherman was asked about being part of dying breed in the position he plays. Sherman pointed out that three of the four remaining teams use a fullback. What would his sales pitch be to those that don’t. “I don’t know, maybe you should want to be like us,” he said.

This Week's Flyers

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.